Veda Florez, a communications consultant, at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael on Wednesday. She is among the Marin residents who have applied for the state’s 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission. (Jeremy Portje/Marin Independent Journal)

Otis Bruce, a county prosecutor, and Veda Florez chat about voter registration at the Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael on Wednesday. (Jeremy Portje/ Marin Independent Journal)

About 200 Marin residents have joined nearly 21,000 other Californians in applying to serve on the state’s 2020 Citizens Redistricting Commission.

Every decade, following the federal census, California must redraw the boundaries of its congressional, state Senate, state Assembly and Board of Equalization districts to reflect updated population data.

David McCuan, a Sonoma State University professor of political science, said there are several reasons why so many people across the state are interested in serving on the commission. McCuan says how voting districts are drawn is a controversial issue nationally, one that could determine whether Republicans maintain their control of Congress and the White House.

“Redistricting commissions are under attack across the country,” McCuan said. “There are a series of cases, particularly in Michigan, and other battleground states where mostly Republican groups are going after citizen redistricting commissions.”

“It’s possible that even California’s redistricting commission could be challenged,” he said. “That gives it an additional gravitas.”

The legal challenges are based on the argument that nonpartisan redistricting commissions violate the First Amendment rights of some people by limiting who may serve on them.

The California commission will include 14 members – five Democrats, five Republicans and four not registered with any political party.

People are barred from serving on the commission if they or a member of their immediate family have been a candidate for a California congressional or state office; served as an officer, employee or paid consultant of a California political party or of the campaign committee of a candidate for California congressional or elective state office; or been a registered lobbyist.

In 2010, Republicans employed a strategy called “redmap,” for Redistricting Majority Project, to win state legislatures across the country so that when the new census figures were released in 2011 they would be in a position to redraw electoral maps to their advantage and regain control of Congress. At the time, the presidency, the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives were in Democratic hands.

“While there has been a move to create these commissions across the country there has also been worry by Republicans that they will lose seats,” McCuan said. “They don’t want to give up those gains.”

Phillip Muller of San Rafael, one of the Marin applicants for the California commission, said, “I’m very concerned that political parties are basically trying to redistrict us out of democracy. Basically some states have done a wonderful job of gerrymandering to defranchise people so some politicians can always get elected. That is kind of not democratic.”

Regarding the large number of applicants, Frank Leidman of Mill Valley, another Marin applicant, said, “I strongly believe it is a response to the political climate. I’ve been active with Mill Valley Community Action Network and other groups.”

The network was created in December 2016 to oppose the Trump administration agenda and is advocating for Trump’s impeachment. McCuan said California’s role as the center of the anti-Trump movement has also raised the profile of the state’s redistricting commission.

“California’s politics matter in terms of lessons for other states,” he said.

And there are other factors increasing interest in the redistricting commission, McCuan said. This redrawing of the electoral maps comes during a period of generational change and at a time when ethnic minorities in the state as a group will soon constitute a majority of the state’s population.

State Auditor Elaine Howle extended the deadline for commission applications 10 days until Aug. 19 after concerns were raised about a lack of ethnic and gender diversity among early applicants.

Regarding her reasons for applying to serve on the commission, Veda Florez of Novato said, “I’m happy to participate for my community and my cultural heritage. Participating in the redistricting commission is one line in the sand where I can assure Latino voters — whose participation numbers are down — that there are people working to make positive change and assure the voting process remains fair.”

The 21,000 applicants now have the opportunity to submit a more detailed application. From this pool, 60 finalists will be selected. Then, after four legislative leaders exercise their prerogative to remove up to six applicants each from the pool, the commission’s first eight members will be selected at random by Howle. These eight members will select the remaining six commissioners, who will be chosen with an eye toward ensuring the commission’s diversity.

This will be only the second state redistricting commission. The creation of the commission was authorized when voters passed the Voters First Act in 2008 at the urging Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Previously, the district lines were drawn by the Legislature, which was controlled by Democrats.

“One of the arguments that Arnold Schwarzenegger made was this move out of partisan gerrymandering would help moderate the type of Republicans elected and this would make Republicans more relevant in Sacramento,” McCuan said. “That has not come to pass.”